It should come as no surprise to anyone that the dark plays a major role in pedestrian-related accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2005, 75 percent of motor vehicle related deaths in the U.S. happened at night.

Aside from dark hours obviously limiting drivers’ vision, surveys also show that driving at night can be a source of great stress. In Europe, 81 percent of drivers polled admitted to being scared on the roads at night. Between worries over night blindness and the fear of hitting someone, you aren’t alone if driving after sundown makes you uncomfortable.

Ford is hoping to provide some relief to those drivers with a new upgrade to its Pedestrian Detection. For those unfamiliar with Ford’s Pedestrian Detection, the feature, an additional option to the automaker’s Pre-Collision system, uses a combination of cameras, radar, and complex algorithms to identify pedestrians entering a driver’s path, and sounding an alarm before engaging automated braking if necessary.

After dark, traffic accidents with pedestrians can be almost twice as likely to lead to a fatality.

In response to the previously mentioned surveys and statistics, Ford is now introducing new technology to the feature that will allow it to detect pedestrians at night. Through this technology that utilizes the headlights, Pedestrian Detection will now be able to still recognize pedestrian shapes in low light conditions.

Ford claims to have successfully tested the upgraded system both with life-sized dummies on closed tracks, and after dark on the public roads of busy cities like Paris and Amsterdam. Assuming car owners are willing to take responsibility for the condition of their headlights and bumpers housing the necessary radar and camera, as well as accept the effects on their insurance, Ford’s Pedestrian Detection could be a worthy investment now that it can be applied when most likely needed.

The upgraded Pedestrian Detection feature will first debut in Europe in the 2018 Fiesta. It will become available in the U.S. at the end of the year in the 2018 Mustang and 2018 F-150.